Utulos
Transformation Magic |user= Various }} Utulos is an Caster Magic derived from Transformation Magic. Broadly speaking it allows the user to shift their body into a more advanced form, though this magic goes far beyond simple transformation, exceeding even in difficulty. mastery of this magic earned him the title of , as well as the third of the . Overview The Mages of Old had always been weak in the area of physical prowess and this problem tended to extend into the modern era as well, with the Mercenary guild in particular taking advantage of the weakness of wizards in physical combat to fell even the mightiest and most accomplished among them. The only wizards with power suitable to repel physical assault were the , the nature of their magic effectively turning them into elemental weapons, and Mages who specialised in magic that altered their bodies to a certain degree, most notably those who cast Take Over spells. However the first of these groups were exceedingly rare, and a similar effect was generally impossible to reproduce. The second of the groups was a more promising option, but it was soon realised that it was not a simple matter to acquire this magic to an acceptable degree. The main problems with Take Over was mainly its difficulty and its lack of adaptability. In terms of acquiring a suitable Take Over, the transformation was directly proportional in power to the strength of the being defeated. Therefore, to find a transformation of any considerable power, a monster of great strength had to be defeated. Even then, as experienced by , the power of the being, if too great for the caster, had the potential to overcome the user and cause them to lose their mind to the monster within. The second problem was that Take Over was too rigid. Its use in combat basically consisted of brute physical power, or using the same ability of a creature over and over again to overwhelm an opponent. Unsurprisingly, this tactic, although effective against basic melee fighters, tended to fall well short when employed against any opponent of considerable power. Therefore a new Magic was developed, known from the time of its development as the Brutal Beast. It's official name was then decided to be Utulos. It was intended to be an alternative pathway in the Transformation series of techniques. Where it differed from the Take Over spell was in its versatility, as it allowed a number of abilities and traits to be merged into a single form, generically known as the Reaver. This form allowed the incorporation of the traits and mechanisms of many creatures into a single transformation. Whatsmore, this spell was well suited to mages who were initially weak in physical combat as it allowed them, through nothing more than the complete understanding of the mechanism they wished to imitate. Although this was very study intensive, especially for more complex features, it was far easier than defeating the monster in question. It should be noted however, that the efficiency, power and overall effectiveness of each trait can be drastically increased through increasing the users understanding of the trait, which usually amounts to first-hand observation of the creature, either through battle, or simply managing to observe the creature closely enough. The resulting form is usually a monstrous beast, formed from the result of mashing together numerous traits from a wide variety of creatures. It should be noted that partial transformations to acquire the trait or skill of a single, or a few of the many creatures that the user has in their arsenal is possible, though usually only seen in more advanced users. In this case most changes are for the most part invisible, with only a slight change in the users appearance occurring. Monstrous size is not always secured, but is far more common in Reavers with a large number of traits imbued into it. The size is a result of the traits conflicting with one another, and it will get to the extent where the body is irreperably damaged. Usually the number of creatures able to be amalgamated is three, with more advanced users able to achieve the assimilation of more creatures, as well as maintaining the effectiveness of each trait at that of the original. For example, water breathing varies in the amount of oxygen it can supply. Only in a transformation with fewer than three creatures can the user "break even" and breathe underwater indefinitely. At any higher than this the period of time that a user can stay underwater is boosted but is not infinite. Whatever beasts the user decides to imitate, there are always several generic changes to the user's body. In general the user gains enhancements to their physical abilities, such as speed, strength, and their senses. By choosing to consciously enhance one of these that part of the body will obtain bestial traits. Category:Ancient Magic Category:Caster Magic